TV Chief Amy Powell fired for making inconsistent comments

Five years ago, then-Paramount chief Brad Grey decided to revive the production banner headed by a rising-star feature executive.


Reuters | Updated: 20-07-2018 07:10 IST | Created: 20-07-2018 07:10 IST
TV Chief Amy Powell fired for making inconsistent comments
Amy has made lasting contributions to Paramount in her 14 years with the company. (Image Credit: Twitter)

Paramount Television president Amy Powell has been fired after making statements that were "inconsistent" with the studio's values, Paramount Pictures said Thursday.

Paramount Pictures chairman Jim Gianopulos told studio staffers in a memo that Powell was terminated Thursday after complaints from other employees sparked an investigation into her remarks. Powell's remarks were made last week in what the studio described as "a professional setting." A source with knowledge of the situation characterized her comments as racially charged.

"Amy has made lasting contributions to Paramount in her 14 years with the company, including building a world-class team at Paramount TV," Gianopulos said. "While it is incredibly difficult to part ways with a valued member of our community, it is imperative that we uphold our values and ensure that all employees feel safe and included in the workplace."

Powell was tapped in 2013 to head the studio's re-entry into the television series production business. The studio had been out of the TV production arena since Viacom and CBS were split into separate entities in January 2006. Five years ago, then-Paramount chief Brad Grey decided to revive the production banner headed by a rising-star feature executive.

Powell revved up activity with series based on IP from the Paramount vaults as well as new shows for Netflix ("13 Reasons Why") and Amazon ("Jack Ryan") and high-end drama for TNT ("The Alienist").

Powell has been well-regarded as a creative executive by her colleagues; she's also known to be highly ambitious career-wise. Her name has been mentioned for recent high-profile job openings amid the Peak TV boom. News of her firing came as a shock to co-workers and in the creative community.

Here is Gianopulos' full memo:

Last week, multiple individuals came to us to raise concerns around comments made by Amy Powell in a professional setting, which they believed were inconsistent with our company's values. Having spent the past several days conducting a thorough investigation into this matter and speaking to those who were present, our Human Resources and Legal teams came to the same conclusion, and we have made the decision to terminate Amy's employment, effective immediately.

Amy has made lasting contributions to Paramount in her 14 years with the company, including building a world-class team at Paramount TV. While it is incredibly difficult to part ways with a valued member of our community, it is imperative that we uphold our values and ensure that all employees feel safe and included in the workplace.

We will begin immediately looking for Amy's replacement. In the interim, Andrew Gumpert, Paramount's Chief Operating Officer, will provide operational support and Mireille Soria, Brian Robbins and Wyck Godfrey -- Presidents of Paramount Animation, Paramount Players and Paramount Motion Picture Group, respectively -- will provide creative input, where needed, to the incredibly talented Paramount TV team, which is very well-placed to continue the incredible growth of this division.

Importantly, I want to take this opportunity to remind every one of the type of company and culture we're committed to building at Paramount. It's one of inclusion, honesty and accountability - where diversity is critical to ensuring that all ideas, backgrounds and perspectives are embraced and respected.

We will continue this conversation in smaller groups and on a companywide scale in the coming months and, in the meantime, I want us to take stock of where we are and explore what more we can do to foster a safe, supportive and inclusive workplace. Through direct engagement and an open dialogue, my hope is that we can undertake this progress together, in an environment where each and every one of our employees feels heard and valued.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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